The Atheism Thread - Part 7

[MrsKent26]

Yeah, absolutely. If anything our everyday lives should be "governed" by science not by politics and economics.
The problem though lies in the fact that the conventional scientific community throughout human history, is controlled by the establishment to serve an agenda and doesn't exactly care about progressing our knowledge and advancing us as a species. That's why I prefer the work of independent researchers and volunteers that are not paid by a wealthy corporation to extract results that fit their agenda.

I agree. Those problems you mentioned aren't due to flaws in science. They are flaws with greedy humans.

 

[KevanG]

I didn't tell no one nothing. I'm just bitter over spoiled brownies.

 

[Alex_Spider]

I didn't tell no one nothing. I'm just bitter over spoiled brownies.

Don't worry, just start praying to him and I'm sure he will hold a special place for you with endless fields of brownies for the rest of eternity

 

[Superwoman Prime]

Science could eventually engineer paradise.

Concept's called Paradise Engineering.

 

[MrsKent26]

I didn't tell no one nothing. I'm just bitter over spoiled brownies.

I think this is just a seedy scam to get more brownies.

 

[Alex_Spider]

Science could eventually engineer paradise.

Concept's called Paradise Engineering.

I don't think it has to be that complicated or over philosophised like the article suggests. What we really need is a system of global distribution of food and goods which is perfectly feasible with the current technology. It's just a matter of political decision and putting our scientific focus at working towards, instead of building weapons of mass destruction. But of course the political status quo will never allow such a transition to happen.

 

[Superwoman Prime]

As weird as this may sound, I believe advancements made for the video game industry will deeply impact the turn of our species.

Expansion of the internet, combined with the machines developed for entertainment will be another huge step toward a technological singularity.

 

[KevanG]

I think this is just a seedy scam to get more brownies.

I don't know what you're talking about.

 

[Alex_Spider]

I also love the alien creators concept of the AC games.
This video here illustrates perfectly the whole point.

Assassin's Creed II - The Truth
[YT]A-bibDttnQE[/YT]
I am totally thrilled every time I watch it, with the depiction of Adam & Eve rebelling against the aliens and running away. And that music is beyond awesome.

 

[KevanG]

I love the AC games and the story (except for III) but they've totally lost the story from III onwards. It's all over the place and makes less sense every game.

I still think ACII is one of the greatest games ever made because you get to beat up the Pope during mass.

 

[Alex_Spider]

I love the AC games and the story (except for III) but they've totally lost the story from III onwards. It's all over the place and makes less sense every game.

I still think ACII is one of the greatest games ever made because you get to beat up the Pope during mass.

Yeah, totally. I like it also because in a way it exposes the crimes of the dominant institutions throughout history and how the templars seek power and oppressing the population and the main character is a rebel fighting for freedom and to protect the innocent ones, which is a great parallel for what's happening in the real world today with the corporations and banks controlling politics and the activists/anonymous/hackers (aka "terrorists") who are opposing them.

 

[regwec]

That's...really not what is happening.

 

[Alex_Spider]

That's...really not what is happening.

You have any doubts that mega corporations and bankers have complete control of our socioeconomic institutions and dictate the course of our lives? I would like to hear your thoughts.

 

[regwec]

"Mega corporations" tend to be publicly listed. They tend to be owned by shareholders, with institutional investors like pension funds being the majority holders. Their corporate behaviour is inevitably selfish, but the motives are no more mysterious or sinister than capital growth and the payment of the dividend.

People who carelessly share state secrets with the world at large are not David throwing sling shots at Goliath. They are people living in paper houses, who like playing with matches.

 

[rodhulk]

It is not possible, it's absolute fact that the Earth and the universe are billions of years old.

You can't believe in evolution being true for some aspects and not others. We all evolved from a single celled organism through mutations and natural selection. This is fact. If you have micro evolution happening, given enough time, macro evolution follows. This process takes thousands upon thousands (even millions) of years, so you wouldn't be able to observe it in your lifetime. We can determine from fossils that macro evolution has happened, is happening, and will continue to happen. The process is just very slow and not observable within a few humans' lifetimes.

I beg to differ if it's an "absolute" fact on the universe and earth being billions of years old but..... it's not one that I can really defend either way since the scripture leaves that open. If it is an absolute fact, note the "if," that's fine and that means nothing in changing the beginning of the earth and universe from a biblical perspective from what I read at the beginning of Genesis.

I am aware that macro evolution does not occur in a lifetime and we will not observe it. That was not the point I was trying to make. That said, we still haven't observed it so we need to look elsewhere for evidence as per macro evolution. Same with God. We're yet to observe him so we need to look elsewhere for that evidence. Prophecy is a piece of that. With that, I'm yet to see the 100% fact that macro evolution to the extent you are presenting it is a fact. What I am saying is not that macro evolution has never happened but that I do not believe people, for example and no matter how far back we go and through so many micro changes, that man is related to dolphins and foxes (via a common ancestor).

I believe in micro evolution as God said "after their kinds." Exactly what "after their kinds" he is referring to is debateable but as per above, I do not believe people can be traced back to dolphins and foxes or anywhere to the animal kingdom. The "after their kinds" seems to be in line with new breeds of dogs, for example. But the dog remains a dog.

 

[regwec]

Nobody has suggested that one "modern" species descends from another. That would be silly. The truth is that separate modern species descend from a common ancestor.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Honestly, given how even young earth creationists accept that poodles, chihuahuas, and great danes came from a wolf, and technically haven't speciated yet (is that a word?) I don't see why evolution is hard to believe.

 

[KevanG]

It was also a hard and fast rule that no matter what god would never let an animal he created go extinct. That is no longer considered to be true.

 

[rodhulk]

What I am saying is that I believe all life has always been the way it has been. So, man has always been man. I do not believe man, for example, has a common ancestor.

 

[Feenix]

What I am saying is that I believe all life has always been the way it has been. So, man has always been man.

Not true. Mankind came from an earlier ancestor of primates.

The Earth has been here for billions of years and Homo sapiens are a mere blip on the calendar of the cosmos. Why would a god create the universe, the Earth, and other random little things and then sit around for a while before creating man?

It's been proven that we evolved. We are here because of mutations and natural selection.

 

[DarkSentinel]

Evolution is fact, yes. I liken it to an artist constantly refining his work. I'm probably opening up yet another can of worms in this thread, but I respect others' beliefs, even if they have no belief. I have no problem agreeing with evolution as fact, but as a creative person I can't comprehend the idea of there being no higher power. Again, that's just me.

 

[rodhulk]

Not true. Mankind came from an earlier ancestor of primates.

The Earth has been here for billions of years and Homo sapiens are a mere blip on the calendar of the cosmos. Why would a god create the universe, the Earth, and other random little things and then sit around for a while before creating man?

It's been proven that we evolved. We are here because of mutations and natural selection.

I don't see this as a fact. I'm not buying into the idea that that there has been an increase in the genetic information in an organism so that man came from an earlier ancestor of primates.

And time for man is not how time is for God. At least one scripture does reference that. If the earth is billions of years old, we don't know exactly what happened in this long timeframe so we really can't answer the question on why life took so long to start. The Bible even states that we can't fathom the way God is and why he does what he does. Mind you, we know some things but only to what he has revealed to us.

 

[Feenix]

I'm not saying that a god couldn't have started the evolutionary process, I'm saying that we weren't "created" in our present form.

I respect your beliefs, DS. A creative person looking at the world and seeing the creative process makes sense.

 

[Feenix]

I don't see this as a fact. I'm not buying into the idea that that there has been an increase in the genetic information in an organism so that man came from an earlier ancestor of primates.

And time for man is not how time is for God. At least one scripture does reference that. If the earth is billions of years old, we don't know exactly what happened in this long timeframe so we really can't answer the question on why life took so long to start. The Bible even states that we can't fathom the way God is and why he does what he does. Mind you, we know some things but only to what he has revealed to us.

You're missing the whole concept of mutations.

You don't have to buy into anything, but the evidence backs up evolution (micro and macro).

 

[Thundercrack85]

What I am saying is that I believe all life has always been the way it has been. So, man has always been man. I do not believe man, for example, has a common ancestor.

You have to admit that if that that does make cetaceans a rather oddly designed bunch of animals then.

It also raises some questions about bats.

And then there are vestigial organs... Was the creator just lazy when he left in the wisdom teeth and tailbones when he made humans?